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Bonnyville RCMP respond to questions through virtual town hall

Bonnyville RCMP virtual town hall opens discussion about local crime during COVID-19
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The Bonnyville RCMP's virtual open house allowed residents to discuss their concerns regarding crime in the area. File photo.

BONNYVILLE – Police visibility, impaired drivers, response times, and rural property crime and theft were top priorities for residents who participated in the Bonnyville RCMP virtual open house.

According to Bonnyville S/Sgt. Sarah Parke, the initiative received roughly 17 submissions via email of questions that the public wanted to ask the local police force. The majority of those boiled down to six main questions that Parke then responded to.

“A handful of those responses were a one-on-one situation, so I had dealt with the individuals on an individual basis to address their respective concerns,” she explained. “But, in addition to the emails that were sent directly to me, there were also numerous comments posted on the social media sites that published the town hall in the first place. There was definitely lots of chatter around town.”

The virtual open house was held instead of an in-person session due to COVID-19. From Monday, June 29 to Friday, July 10, members of the public were invited to submit questions and comments via mail or email about policing issues within the Town and MD of Bonnyville, Village of Glendon, Fort Kent, La Corey, Iron River, Therien, and Kehewin Cree Nation.

The top concern Parke heard was requests for increased patrols and visibility in the Town of Bonnyville, specifically in the areas of 51 St., Lakeshore Drive, 51 Ave., and 43 Ave., due to speeding, racing, and stunting that happens.

“The residents in some of these areas are finding that it's actually affecting their quality of life in the sense that it’s a constant thing,” noted Parke. “I really urge motorists to take that into consideration and really abide by the rules of the road, especially when you know your actions are affecting other people.”

This wasn’t the only area residents' requested the Bonnyville RCMP’s presence. Visibility and increased patrols were mentioned for the Village of Glendon, to which Parke said members are out patrolling the hamlets and villages in their jurisdiction as much as they are in Bonnyville.

Response times was another topic brought up by those who wrote in to the virtual open house.

“Our geographical area is so large that it's really dependent on where the officer happens to be, and he or she may be somewhere because they are conducting a proactive patrol or because they were called to go and deal with something at that particular location,” Parke said. “We’re not able to predict where we’re going to be, sometimes we’re very close and we’re in the right place at the right time, and other times we’re not and that’s just simply the nature of policing.”

During previous in-person open houses, Parke has heard that rural crime and property theft is a main priority for attendees but it came in a little lower on the list during the virtual open house.

“(Rural crime and property theft) was brought up, but we’ve had a decrease in all of the statistics since January,” Parke detailed. “Based on that, I think that’s maybe why the other items kind of pulled to the forefront and we were dealing with other items.”

The intersection on Hwy. 28 at Fort Kent, and impaired drivers were the two final topics discussed by through the virtual open house.

Parke agreed with the safety concerns raised and even said she has arranged to increase monitoring of the Fort Kent intersection through patrols and stationary observation by the Bonnyville detachment.   

When it came to impaired drivers, Parke said, “We’re always on the hunt for them and impaired driving has been a priority for police across this nation for decades and, unfortunately, continues to be despite how preventable it is.”

The responses and conversations Parke heard and saw during the virtual open house solidified that she "would absolutely do it again.”

“I think there’s value in the process and if it’s worthwhile to engage in it, then I’m always open to community comments and feedback,” she expressed. “It will just be a matter of what COVID-19 will allow us to do in the future. We may try to do a traditional one in the new year if the health orders allow us to do that, if not we may do something similar to this one.”

Robynne Henry, Bonnyville Nouvelle

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